Additional Links

Amateur boxer looking to make his mark as a pro

By JOHN-MICHAEL GARNERjgarner@aikenstandard.com

Feb 5 2013 12:05 am

With a fierce in-ring style and insatiable appetite for improvement, a local boxer hopes to knock out his dreams at the professional level.

Javier Frazier, a 21-year-old three-time South Carolina Golden Gloves champion from Aiken, is attempting to duplicate the success of Paul Williams, another local product who twice earned the WBO welterweight championship.

A fast-riser in the boxing ranks, Frazier began his career in 2008 under the tutelage of LeRoy Green at the Aiken Boxing Club. Frazier said the sport instilled discipline in him at a time in his life when he needed direction.

“I wasn’t a bad kid, but I did some things I shouldn’t have,” he said.

Although boxing helped Frazier get on the straight and narrow path, convincing his mother to let him take up the sport was a challenge, he said.

“My mom would tell me, ‘Boy, you already got a screw loose. I’m not about to let other people knock you around,’” he said. “But eventually she saw that (boxing) was good for me.”

Frazier currently trains at the Warrior Boxing Gym under William Pope, who said Frazier leaves everything in the ring during his bouts.

Frazier said he patterns himself after Williams as a boxer and current WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. from a business and marketing standpoint.

He’ll make his professional debut on Feb. 16 at Fight Club University in Columbia.

The process of acquiring a professional boxing license is an easy one, Frazier said. He simply has to pay a small fee to the South Carolina State Athletic Commission and pass a physical and blood test.

The hard part, he said, will be building on the dedication that has gotten him to this point and surrounding himself with a strong support system once he goes pro.

As he makes the transition to being a professional, Frazier said he must avoid complacency.

“I don’t want to be slack,” he said. “I have to continue to improve. The money would be nice, but I know that the money’s going to be there if I keep working hard.”

In addition to improving himself as a fighter, Frazier said he is also striving to become a better man. He is currently working toward earning his GED after not earning his high school diploma from Aiken High School, where he briefly attended.

Frazier said his improved maturity will make him a better father to his two young daughters, Zaniya and Mya, ages 1 and 11 months, respectively.

Inside the ring, Pope said Frazier is capable of becoming even more dominant.

“He can always learn new things,” he said. “The thing about boxing is that you never know it all. If he just continues to work hard and listen to his trainers, he’ll continue to get better. But he’s a beast. You’ll probably be seeing him on TV one day.”

Comments

Notice about comments:

Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.

We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.